New York Plans Faster Sewage Alerts

Benjamin Norman for The New York Times Gregory O’Mullan, a microbiologist, taking samples from the Hudson last July after big discharge from a sewage treatment plant. A rainstorm in New York City usually means raw sewage will reach surrounding waterways like rivers and creeks. When sewer and storm water carried by the same pipes overwhelm the city’s treatment plants during storms, the sewer system discharges a mix of wastewater and storm water — called a combined sewer overflow – into waterways from 423 outfall locations. Now, officials with the city’s Department of Environmental Protection plan a pilot program in which they will install remote sensors at five of those outfalls this year to monitor sewer overflows and water quality. The sensors, which will measure the rate and direction of flow, should give the department a picture in real time of any developing emergencie...